I get the idea Graflex was never making as much money as people thought they should. They would come out with a great camera, and then strip it down to lower the cost to get people to buy.

the Graflex Jr. was one such entry. It is stripped of the the rotary switch that allows all of the various ways a 2772 could be used. It also doesn't have a red button, so you have to use it with a sync'd shutter.

Not long after introduction, they came out with the battery-capacitor cartridge. I think the Jr was designed around the BC circuit. The BC circuit gave a short, high voltage burst to the bulb and practically eliminated any mis fires due to bad contacts. But with the BC you can't you a solenoid to trip the shutter.
and incase anybody was wondering a 2773 is the three cell battery case.

On 2003-03-02 09:03, worldphoto wrote:
The Graflite Jr. is for series use,the Graflite 2-cell is for parallel use similar to the Graflex 2773. No B-C cartridge, no need or use for Graflite Jr..
Harry

Solenoids are wired in parallel, so would conflict (cause problems!!) with series circuits in unit.

Harry: to the extent your message seems to indicate the Graflite Jr. is unuseable w/o a BC cartridge, I must respectfully, and knowledgably, disagree. The Graflite Jr. operates perfectly well with 2 D cell batteries, using a shutter cord, and can act as an extention flash if connected with another flash, including the 2772/3. It cannot be triggered from a solenoid, nor does it have the rotary switch of the 2772/3.

Hi Alex, I am glad to get your response.
Okay, Georges in Belgium started this topic. Do you think having a BC extension (Makes connects in series) is the best thing? Isn't there a real possibility for burnt fingers from a hot flashbulb if that outlet is used by mistake?

Without a BC cartridge there are only two outlets available for use; one N extension and one shutter. When the 2772/3 have five outlets available for use. You've already mentioned the lack of the red button and the N, 1, and 2 controls available on the 2772/3.
Sorry I stepped on your toes, I just learned the above info yesterday while I was researching the BC cartridge.
Harry

OK, Harry, I see what you're saying. I'm looking at the brochure for the Graflite Jr. and it says: "Use up to 10 Graflite extension units with B-C cartridge in series circuit". So, perhaps that unit isn't the best to use as the primary unit on the camera where an extension flash is also to be used.

But, I still maintain it is a perfectly fine unit with D cells. As the brochure says: "Gives maximum performance with either D size battery or B-C power".

I wouldn't avoid it just because of the wiring of the ext. plug, especially if my camera didn't have a solenoid.

The cat. no. of the Graflite Jr. battery case only was 2770.

And, you're NOT stepping on my toes. I think we all encourage vigorous discussions on here, while maintaining respect for each other's opinion. The whole idea is to arrive at the facts.

Thanks to everyones input, I sure have enjoyed all of it and I have learned alot. I obtained my information from "Graflite Flash Equipment Guidebook" by Graflex.
One final thought..... There is a possibility that Georges in Belgium may not even own a lens and shutter with bi-post cennectors. I know I didn't until I recently purchased a lensboard for my 127mm lens. My No.3 Kodak Supermatic shutter for the 152mm lens had the Bi-Posts removed and an external PC added when I bought it.
Harry

There appears to be little interest in Graflex B-C cartridges that the Graflite Jr was built for so some final final comments.
I bought a second B-C cartridge on the Bay and it is working fine ($12.00 US). Also, I bought a Graflite Jr for series multiple flashes with one of the cartridges. Even my Heiland Tilt-a-Mite, with a $2.12 battery from Radio Shack is working great with my P25 and 5B flashbulbs. Why?
Because it gives me more power, it frees me from the use of D batteries, and besides, I believe, the firing of flashbulbs is more uniform with the B-C cartridges and, Yes, I can even use solenoids with a single flashbulb. I'm one happy camper!
Harry

I have a Jn. in front of me at the moment, I was using it with a Nikormat FTn at work this afternoon. It has three connections, shutter, Extension N and Extension BC. I am using 'D' cells in it. If I connect an extension to the 'N' outlet, it works fine, if I connect it to the 'BC' outlet it (the extension) doesn't fire.

I'm not clear about what has been written in this thread; are you sayng that when using BC power to fire several bulbs they (the bulbs) should be wired in series, and that this is what the 'BC' outlet does?

I have never been clear about firing a large number of bulbs from a syncronised shutter, a bulb takes quite a large current to fire, and connecting many bulbs in parallel will increase the total current. I wouldn't have thought that the flash contacts in the shutter would be capable of firing many bulbs in this way without damage.

I am sure I read something about wiring multiple bulbs in series in a book about O. Winston Link. If you were to do this then the total current would be the same as for a single bulb, the same current is passing through each bulb, but a higher voltage would be needed to produce that much current, sounds like just the job for a BC. what happens when you fire many bulbs in this way? I would have thought that some would fire slightly before others, thereby breaking the circuit, and preventing the others from firing. Will all bulbs fire reliably when wired in series.

I do have a BC, the reason I haven't tried it is that the 22.5V batteries now seem to be totally unobtainable, even places that have other obscure batteries have not been able to find me one. My father had a German plastic flash in the '60s, which used a BC circuit, but the battery in that is long dead. I have a small flash for AG1 or PF1 bulbs, which uses a 15V battery which is almost square in section. I have managed to get his to work by rolling a paper tube around ten 1.5V button cells and a small metal spacer, but I haven't found any way of replacing the 22.5V rectangular type. Any suggestions?

p.s. I am in the u.k., and sending batteries through the post seems be a major problem with postal and customs regulations, only slightly less so than transporting nitrate film, which is now getting very difficult; the last time I needed to move a few cans of the stuff I ended up carrying it about fifteem miles on foot, so I need a source of batteries here, unless anyone knows a way of importing them.

I don't know whether you have Radio Shack stores across the pond, but if you do---their 2002 catalog (p. 393) lists an Eveready #412 22.5 volt carbon-zinc battery "for electronic applications", which replaces the #215 so it must be the same size and shape as the Mallory M-215 22.5v battery in my little off-brand ("Ultima") Japanese-made flash holder. From the illustration in the R-S catalog it seems to be the right configuration, but I can't tell about the size. Anyhow, it's R-S catalog no. 960-0437, cost $6.99. But it's also "special order" so that might be a problem for you, if indeed it's still available.

Incidentally, the clerk at my nearby R-S store told me that the company is no longer going to issue a printed catalog! But they WOULD give you a "special deal" on a computer so you could access their catalog on-line. Now THAT'S a slick maneuver if ever I heard one!

**** OK, just went to http://www.radioshack.com/ and entered 960-0437 in the little search window, and viola! (not "voila!"--we're not speaking frog here just now) the item is indeed listed and available. HTH.

INDEED!!!
Looks to be the same battery used by the Super Graphics, a battery which my local Radio Shack Guru said they couldn't get!!! Well, it appears RS is another (and much more local & accessible) source for this "hard-to-find" battery.
Thanks.